A new Gallup Poll of more than 1,000 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents has former governors Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney leading the pack of possible 2012 GOP presidential candidates. About 19 percent of those polled said they’d back Huckabee, which puts him slightly ahead of Romney who got 15 percent support. Just 5 percent of those polled said they’ve back Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty garnered just 3 percent.

The poll taken March 18-22nd also sought to determine what would happen if Huckabee chooses not to run. In that scenario, Romney got 19 percent support but was closely followed by Palin at 17 percent. In that no Huckabee scenario, Bachamnn still got 5 percent compared to Pawlenty’s 3 percent.

About the blogger

Mark Zdechlik covers health care and politics for MPR News. He began his MPR career in 1986 while attending St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota where he earned a degree in Business Administration. Over the past three decades, Zdechlik has been involved in covering virtually every major news story in the region.